Manny The Movie Guy2015-03-03T22:35:21ZMannyCopyright 2015, MannySPHPBLOG"Focus" Movie Review -- How Many Kisses do Will Smith and Margot Robbie Get?

Will Smith returns to the big screen with the crime-drama “Focus” from the “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” folks, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Co-starring is the super-hot Margot Robbie as a newbie who wants to learn from Smith’s Nicky, a slick con artist. Is “Focus” worth your time and money? Take a look at my movie review:

The beloved Leonard Nimoy aka Spock of the "Star Trek" series has died. He was 83. According to his wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

I had a wonderful chance to meet the actor for the "Star Trek" reboot and among all the celebrities I've interviewed, he was the only one who made me nervous. Perhaps because he was an idol of my childhood and he still is to this day.

So long Mr. Spock, may you live long and prosper in heaven!

For more on Nimoy's death, click here. ]]>http://www.mannythemovieguy.com/index.php?entry=entry150227-1616412015-02-27T00:00:00Z2015-02-27T00:00:00Z"Birdman" Tops the 2015 Oscars!

And the awards season is officially over! Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Birdman" was the big winner at the 87th Academy Awards taking home the Best Picture, Director, Cinematography and Original Screenplay trophies. Its closest competition, "Boyhood," only managed one trophy for Best Supporting Actress for Patricia Arquette. Honestly? I still believe that "Boyhood" is a better picture but the Academy loves movies about themselves, hence "Birdman" took the top prize!

Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" won Best Original Score, Costume Design, and Production Design while "Whiplash" received the Best Supporting Actor trophy for J.K. Simmons, Film Editing, and Sound Mixing.

Morten Tyldum's "The Imitation Game" won the Best Adapted Screenplay award with writer Graham Moore giving one of the night's best speeches about marching on and it does get better!

The one award that "Birdman" didn't take home was the Best Actor trophy. Michael Keaton lost out to Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything!" Everybody's favorite Best Actress, Julianne Moore, finally won the golden man with her performance for "Still Alice."

Neil Patrick Harris served as the host of the evening and opened the night with a show-stopping number along with Anna Kendrick and Jack Black. Many Twitter folks were upset about his Octavia Spencer joke though where he made her the guard of his Oscar predictions.

Best Original Song“Everything Is Awesome,” from “The Lego Movie”“Glory,” from “Selma” WINNER“Grateful,” from “Beyond the Lights”“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”“Lost Stars,” from “Begin Again”

The question on everybody’s mind is will it be “Boyhood” or “Birdman?” The Oscars this Sunday will be one of the most nail-biting Academy Awards in recent history. In the beginning of the awards season, Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” was winning the best picture category in many of the award-giving bodies.

And then, the Producers Guild and Directors Guild Awards happened where Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman” took the top prizes.

Same can be said with Michael Keaton. The actor was a surefire bet to win until the Screen Actors Guild decided to crown Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything.”

So this Sunday, it’s all up in the air. But this is my Super Bowl and so I analyzed all the statistics which led me to my predictions below. Beware! I am not a fortune teller, only a movie buff. But don’t forget me if you win your Oscar pool. I just want a dollar!

Best Original Song“Everything Is Awesome,” from “The Lego Movie”“Glory,” from “Selma” WILL WIN“Grateful,” from “Beyond the Lights”“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” from “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me”“Lost Stars,” from “Begin Again”

Best Production Design“The Grand Budapest Hotel” WILL WIN“The Imitation Game”“Interstellar”“Into the Woods”“Mr. Turner”

Best Live Action Short Film“Aya”“Boogaloo and Graham”“Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)”“Parvaneh”“The Phone Call” WILL WIN

Best Animated Short Film“The Bigger Picture”“The Dam Keeper”“Feast” WILL WIN“Me and my Moulton”“A Single Life”

Best Sound Editing“American Sniper” WILL WIN“Birdman”“The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies”“Interstellar”“Unbroken”

Best Sound Mixing“American Sniper” WILL WIN“Birdman”“Interstellar”“Unbroken”“Whiplash”

Kirk Cameron's "Saving Christmas" singlehandedly won the Worst Movie of the Year title at the recently concluded Razzies! The film also won Worst Screenplay, Worst Actor (Cameron), and Worst Screen Combo (Cameron and his ego).

But Ben Affleck has been redeemed. Previously on the "Gigli" kind, the actor/director has since moved on to "Argo" and "Gone Girl" hence, Affleck received the first ever Razzies Redeemer Award. Awww...

Here's the complete list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 2015 Razzie Awards:

Worst Screenplay"Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas," written by Darren Doane and Cheston Hervey - WINNER"Left Behind," screenplay by Paul LaLonde and John Patus, based on the novel by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins"Sex Tape," screenplay by Kate Angelo and Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller"Transformers 4: Age of Extinction," written by Ehren Kruger, based on Hasbro's Transformers action figures"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," written by Evan Daugherty and Andre Nemec & Josh Applebaum, based on characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman

Worst Remake, Sequel, or Rip-off"Annie" - WINNER"Atlas Shrugged #3: Who Is John Galt?""The Legend of Hercules""Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles""Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"

Worst Screen ComboAny two robots, actors, or robotic actors, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction"Kirk Cameron and his ego, "Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas" - WINNERCameron Diaz and Jason Segel, "Sex Tape"Kellen Lutz and either his abs, his pecs, or his glutes, "The Legend of Hercules"Seth Macfarlane and Charlize Theron, "A Million Ways to Die in the West"

And the Independent Spirit Awards have revealed the winners and it's looking a lot like the Academy Awards! "Birdman" beat "Boyhood" for the Best Feature trophy but Richard Linklater took away the Best Director award from Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)WINNER: Ida PolandDirector: Pawel Pawlikowski Force Majeure SwedenDirector: Ruben ÖstlundLeviathan RussiaDirector: Andrey ZvyagintsevMommy CanadaDirector: Xavier Dolan Norte, the End of HistoryPhilippinesDirector: Lav Diaz Under the Skin United KingdomDirector: Jonathan Glazer

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.WINNER: The Kill TeamDirector: Dan Krauss Approaching the ElephantDirector: Amanda Rose Wilder Evolution of a CriminalDirector: Darius Clark Monroe The Last Season Director: Sara Dosa]]>http://www.mannythemovieguy.com/index.php?entry=entry150222-1804522015-02-22T00:00:00Z2015-02-22T00:00:00ZBeat My Oscar Predictions, If You Dare!

John Cusack may be gone but the “Hot Tub” magic lives on! Clark Duke, Rob Corddry, and Craig Robinson return to the franchise and joining the cast for the first time is Adam Scott as Cusack’s estranged son.

I sat down with Duke, Corddry, and Scott to talk about:

*** Why they want to return, or in Scott’s case, join the franchise – It’s all about money!*** The funny Choozy Doozy scene hosted by Christian Slater*** Do they miss Cusack at all?*** What does Corddry, a “Daily Show” veteran, think of Jon Stewart leaving the show?

Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" won the Original Screenplay honor at the recently concluded Writers Guild Awards while Morten Tyldum's "The Imitation Game" took home the Adapted Screenplay trophy. "The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swarts" written by Brian Knappenberger won Documentary Screenplay award. The film is not nominated for an Academy award.

In TV land, HBO's "True Detective" won the Drama Series award and FX's "Louie" received the Comedy Series trophy.

Here's the complete list of winners (highlighted) and nominees of the 2015 Writers Guild Awards:

ADAPTED SCREENPLAYAmerican Sniper, Written by Jason Hall; Based on the book by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice; Warner Bros.Gone Girl, Screenplay by Gillian Flynn; Based on her novel; 20th Century FoxGuardians of the Galaxy, Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman; Based on the Marvel comic by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Walt Disney Studios Motion PicturesThe Imitation Game, Written by Graham Moore; Based on the book Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges; The Weinstein Company WINNERWild, Screenplay by Nick Hornby; Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed; Fox Searchlight

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAYFinding Vivian Maier, Written by John Maloof & Charlie Siskel; Sundance SelectsThe Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, Written by Brian Knappenberger; FilmBuff WINNERLast Days in Vietnam, Written by Mark Bailey & Keven McAlester; American Experience FilmsRed Army, Written by Gabe Polsky; Sony Pictures Classics

LONG FORM ORIGINALDeliverance Creek, Written by Melissa Carter; Lifetime WINNERReturn to Zero, Written by Sean Hanish; Lifetime

LONG FORM ADAPTEDHoudini, Written by Nicholas Meyer; Based on the book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.; History ChannelKlondike, Parts One, Three and Six, Teleplay by Paul T. Scheuring, Parts Two, Four and Five, Teleplay by Josh Goldin & Rachel Abramowitz, Based on the book Gold Diggers by Charlotte Gray; Discovery ChannelThe Normal Heart, Teleplay by Larry Kramer, Based on his play The Normal Heart; HBOOlive Kitteridge, Teleplay by Jane Anderson, Based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout; HBO WINNER“Pilot” (The Leftovers), Teleplay by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta, Based on the book by Tom Perrotta; HBO

ANIMATION“Bob and Deliver” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Greg Thompson; Fox“Brick Like Me” (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox WINNER“Covercraft” (The Simpsons), Written by Matt Selman; Fox“Pay Pal” (The Simpsons), Written by David H. Steinberg; Fox“Steal This Episode” (The Simpsons), Written by J. Stewart Burns; Fox“Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Nora Smith; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA“A Day’s Work” (Mad Men), Written by Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner; AMC“Devil You Know” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Howard Korder; HBO“Donald the Normal” (Rectify), Written by Kate Powers & Ray McKinnon; Sundance Channel“Friendless Child” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Riccardo DiLoreto & Cristine Chambers and Howard Korder; HBO“The Last Call” (The Good Wife), Written by Robert King and Michelle King; CBS WINNER“The Lion and the Rose” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by George R.R. Martin; HBO

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS“Losing Iraq” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS“United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost (Part Two)” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS“United States of Secrets: The Program (Part One)” (Frontline); PBS; Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS WINNER

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS“Episode Five: The Rising Road (1933-1939)” (The Roosevelts: An Intimate History), Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; PBS“League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS WINNER“Standing Up in the Milky Way (Episode 1)” (COSMOS: A Space Time Odyssey), Written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter; Fox

RADIO DOCUMENTARY“Three Shots Rang Out: The JFK Assassination 50 Years Later,” Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC News Radio WINNER

RADIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT“6AM News,” Written by Philip Pilato; 1010 WINS Radio“8PM Hour,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM“New York City Loses a Radio News Legend,” Written by Bill Spadaro; CBS Radio/1010 WINS“World News This Week,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio WINNER

RADIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY“Civil Rights at 50,” Written by Jane Tillman Irving; WCBS Radio WINNER“Remembering Nelson Mandela,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News

With one week before the Academy Awards, "Birdman" continues its triumphant march towards Oscar glory. Just this past weekend, the Alejandro González Iñárritu contender won the top awards at the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) awards, the 62nd Sound Editors' Golden Reel, and the 51st Cinema Audio Society. The film also took home the Best Contemporary Hair Styling award from the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild.